'Smash Bros. Ultimate' leak adds more evidence for Square Enix DLC character

Terry Bogard will join the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate roster in November as the fourth DLC fighter. One character slot remains open for the first Fighter Pass, but game director Masahiro Sakurai revealed that Nintendo will add even more Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC fighters moving forward. Additions after Terry have yet to be announced, but an alleged leak has given fans a potential glimpse at who could be coming to the game next.

GameFAQs user WeaverSerawl claimed that long-awaited third-party character, Geno, would finally make it to the fighting game. Geno is one of the two original party member characters from Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (1996) and has been in the running for a potential addition to Smash Bros. since Super Smash Bros. Brawl on the Nintendo Wii.

“Geno is the Fifth Fighter’s Pass character,” claimed WeaverSerawl. “He only comes with two songs, though they’ll be usable on all Mario stages, and all Mario songs will be playable on Geno’s stage.”

WeaverSerawl has a somewhat spotty track record for leaks, and they don’t cite a source to back up their assertion. But there’s a mountain of other evidence suggesting that the possessed doll will finally make it into Smash Bros. Ultimate, including a statement from Sakurai himself.

In a March interview with Japanese magazine Nintendo Dream, the Smash Bros. director said he wanted to get Geno into Brawl but that never came to fruition for unknown reasons.

“Geno was actually a character I wanted to include as a fighter,” said Sakurai. “He has a gun for an arm, and just seems like he’d fit absolutely perfectly into Smash. I was hoping I’d be able to put him in as far back as Super Smash Bros. Brawl, but unfortunately that never ended up materializing.”

A Geno Mii costume was added in Smash Bros. 4 for the Wii U, nixing any hope that he’d make it into that iteration of the fighting game. But the outfit is glaringly missing from the Smash Bros. Ultimate Mii attire selection.

Nintendo traditionally doesn’t add characters to the roster if it already has them covered as an Assist Trophy or Mii costume. The fact that the Geno costume was removed may be a signal that efforts to put him into the game could be underway. Plus, there was a surprisingly accurate Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC leak before the game came out that strongly hinted at the addition of Geno.

The so-called “Codename leak” was posted on 4chan on July 1, 2018 half a year before Smash Bros. Ultimate was released on the Switch. An anonymous user claimed to have found the alleged Nintendo codenames for eleven new DLC characters that would eventually be added to game, many of which were proven to be accurate.

The list included “King” (King K. Rool), “Secretary” (Isabelle), “Warrior” (the Belmonts), “Ponytail” (Terry Bogard), and “Doll”, which has been widely interpreted as a reference to Geno.

The “doll” rumor was subject to debate due to its cryptic nature. But many of alleged codenames turned out to be (at least seemingly) legitimate.

Plus, the right to Geno are owned by Square Enix the publisher best known for its Final Fantasy series. The company already has a character in Smash Bros. Ultimate, Cloud, so a second addition isn’t totally out of the realm of possibility.

WeaverSerawl’s mention of a potential Geno addition might be just a rehash of past rumors and leaks. But given that Sakurai has actually mentioned wanting the character in the game and that Nintendo has a history of working with Square Enix, we think Geno is a prime contender to be the final Fighter Pass DLC character.

All of the Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC fighters can be purchased with either the $24.99 Fighter Pass or individually for $5.99 upon their release.